


You Deserve Better

by Harvestqueen



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 03:11:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7828240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harvestqueen/pseuds/Harvestqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shura has always been used to being alone, but perhaps certain royalty could change that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Hello Shura.”

I look up at the uncommon sound of my name. Rarely does anyone talk to me, especially not at supper time. I sit in my usual corner, away from everyone else. Usually it stays that way, I eat and leave without any conversation. I prefer it that way. 

The girl who said my name smiles at me, a nice smile. The one I recognise as Lady Corrin’s. 

“Hello Lady Corrin,” I say politely. “How are you doing this evening?”

“I am doing very well, thank you Shura.” There’s my name again. When I was younger I never would’ve imagined my name leaving the lips of royalty, unless they were sentencing me to death or something like that. Not in the sweet way the young royal said it. “Would you like to come sit with everyone else? I always see you here by yourself. I wanted you to know that you are more than welcome to sit with the rest of the army.”

I look over at one of the large tables at the center of the room. It’s long and thin, filled with people on either side. There are smaller tables scattered around the room, including the one I sit at. On a small raised platform there is a table for the royals, but it is almost always half empty. I watch it every day to see when royals will come. Lord Xander usually eats alone in his room, if he eats at all, Lord Leo tends to do the same. Lady Camilla always seems to sit with one of Lord Leo’s retainers at a smaller table. Lady Elise and Lady Corrin eat with the army at the long table most nights, as if they are common. The Hoshidians are the only ones that ever sit up there, and even they have started to mingle more with the army.

“I think I’d prefer to sit here, if that is alright with you,” I admit and look at her. 

She nods. “Of course it’s alright with me. It’s your choice.” I expect her to leave then, go back to her friends, but she surprises me. “Do you mind if I sit here with you then?”

I pause before shrugging casually, not wanting her to know how surprised I really am. “Of course Princess. However, do you think that would be a wise idea?”

She takes a seat across from me. “Why wouldn’t it be wise? I see nothing wrong with eating with a member of the army.”

A member of the army. It has taken time to get used to that reality. “You are a noble woman, it might not be best for you to be seen dining with a thief. You deserve better company.”

Corrin frowns. “You aren’t a thief anymore, you shouldn’t be judged on your previous life. I have no problem being seen with you Shura.”

I smirk slightly. Being a thief is a low point in my life that I wish I hadn’t had to experience. The only reason I got past it was because of the Nohrian kingdom giving me a second chance, specifically Lady Corrin. She found me and let me join the army, allowing me to right the wrongs I had committed in the fight for survival. “I’m still not sure if this is proper, but very well.”

She laughs softly and it urges another smile out of me. “Is that why you always sit by yourself? Because you don’t think we want to be seen with you?”

“That’s right.”

“Well you shouldn’t feel that way,” she says. “Many people in the army have different backgrounds. I realize you aren’t… Proud of yours, but no one else will judge you.”

It is true what she says about the army being filled with different types of people. Niles was an outlaw, like me in some ways, Beruka trained to be an assassin. I’m not sure what Peri was, but she is too psychotic to not have something dark in her past. It’s amazing what you can find out about people just from listening close enough.

I take a long sip of wine and put the glass down. “Well, you may be right about that. But do not feel any obligation to sit with me. I don’t mind being by myself. You deserve better company, better conversation.”

“It’s not out of any obligation. I just want to sit with you. We’ve barely talked since I first met you, I thought it would be good to get to know you. You seem interesting.”

“The princess who has brought together the Nohr and the Hoshidian armies and has the ability to transform into a dragon thinks I am interesting? Well that is quite the compliment.”

This time she laughs harder, covering her mouth and letting out a small snort. It manages to make the young woman even more endearing in my eyes. She blushes a soft pink and smiles. “Sorry, that was funny.”

“Don’t apologize, I like that I can make you laugh.” I grin and finish my wine. “I should go train now though.”

“Now? It’s almost night time.”

“I prefer training in the evening. The grounds aren’t as crowded, there are more empty targets for more complex training.” I shrug and pick up my plate and glass to put away, not liking to leave it for the maids. 

“Oh, well alright. I guess I have to come earlier if I really want to get in a good meal with you.” She smiles. “Mind if I sit with you tomorrow?”

The thought of eating with her gives me a strange feeling in my stomach, almost like the one I would get before doing a valuable theft. More pleasant though. Excitement probably, from being able to talk to a pleasant person again. “Of course Princess… If you are quite sure that you don’t mind being seen with me.”

“Of course I don’t mind being seen with you.” She stands up and looks back at the other table before looking at me and smiling once again. She seems to always smile, much like her little Nohrian sister. It’s almost enough to be infectious. “Good luck with your training, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow Princess.”

I watch as she leaves and goes back to the other table, sitting between Lady Elise and the strange wolfskin. I still feels so strange to be able to gaze at royalty, to have them approach me and talk to me, actually take an interest.

I smirk and then turn away from the Princess, leaving the dining hall to go train all alone again. At least I like being alone, but talking to the Princess is a nice change of pace.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hello Shura!”

Princess Corrin sticks to her word to come early today. There’s barely anyone in the dining hall at this time except Jakob and myself, he eats even earlier than me. More people are starting to trickle in though, moving to the long communal table in the center of the room. I still don’t understand why she wants to sit with me when all her friends are over there.

“You don’t need to waste your time with me,” I say, almost in a joking fashion to not scare her away. But my words are sincere. 

She just shrugs and puts her plate down across from mine, sitting down. “I don’t think I am wasting my time. I think you’re interesting, and funnier than you let on.” She smirks. “I have a feeling you’re not some scary big bad wolf.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Big bad wolf? Is that what they call me?”

She laughs. “No. They just all think you’re mysterious.”

“Mysterious sounds about right.” I smirk back. “You’re right though. I’m not a big bad wolf. That’s the wolfskin’s job.”

“I don’t know Shura, after you see a grown man chew up your little sisters stuffed bear, it’s hard to use the words “big” or “bad” to describe him.”

This time I’m the one who laughs hard, causing Jakob to glance at us as he walks by clearing his plates. Lady Corrin giggles as well and takes a bite of food.

“So why don’t you talk to the rest of the army?” She asks me.

“The same reason I don’t talk to you much. It’s probably not the best if you’re seen with me.” I’m constantly aware that I am not noble like the other people in the army. Sure, some of them may have had shady pasts, but none with a reputation like me. I’ve been an outlaw so long it’s easy to recognise me. They don’t need that association with their army.

“Well,” She starts, “I don’t think anyone would mind being seen with you. I know how you feel about your reputation, but when we joined this army we all became one. Blank slate.”

“That’s a wonderful thought Lady Corrin, but in some cases having a blank slate is not possible. Your reputation follows you, for better or for worse.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” she says. I take a bite of food while listening. “I think people shed their old reputations all the time. If we didn’t then we would still be remembered for what we did when we were children.”

I chuckle. “It’s different depending on how you’re known. It’s easy to lose a good reputation, nearly impossible to lose a bad one.”

“Maybe you just haven’t tried,” she challenges. “Niles was an outlaw too, and now he’s a royal retainer.”

“I wouldn’t say Niles shed any bad reputation that follows him. Just changed it.” It is true that he is now a royal retainer for Lord Leo, however he still isn’t seen as anyone noble. He’s well liked, but everyone knows how he is around camp. Sexually suggestive towards anyone, royals or commoners. 

“But the thing is no one sees him as an outlaw. They don’t see his bad past, just his... admittedly strange present,” she admits. 

“Well then how do you suggest I would change my reputation?” I ask, mostly to humor her. I doubt I will do anything about it, take her suggestions. Do I like being seen as an outlaw and a bad guy? Not particularly, especially since I only did what I had to for survival. But that’s the bed I made, so I have to lie in it.

“Talk to people. If you only let them know the outlaw side of you then they’re going to always see you as that. But if you let them see the other sides to your personality then they will trust you. They’ll want to get to know you like I do.” She flashes one of her sweet smiles.

I take a sip of wine and she does as well. I wonder if she likes the bitter taste as much as I do, or if she’s even drinking the same wine. “What if I don’t have another side to show them, Princess?”

“You do. No one is just one sided. We all have different parts to ourselves that work together to make us who we are. Even when you were an outlaw there had to be more to you. It’s just trying to show that to other people so they can really get to know you. Besides, how do you expect people to trust you on the battlefield if they don’t even know you in regular life?”

I think for a moment and then nod. “Alright, maybe I will try. For the sake of the army.” I admit. Really though, it’s not for the sake of the army. I’ve been in plenty of battles with these people now and they seem to trust my judgment with a bow. It’s more for her. Maybe if I get the army to like me more then she won’t worry about me, she won’t have to keep wasting her time with an outlaw like me.

She smiles brightly. “Great! It’s good to get to know people after a long time of isolation.”

“I don’t mind isolation so much Princess. It’s my choice to be alone. Not that I mind your company.” I smile. 

“I wish I had that. Would’ve made growing up in the Nohr tower a lot easier.”

“You grew up mostly alone, correct?”

She nods. “Yeah. I had my siblings, and maids and butlers, but wasn’t allowed to go outside. Or have people visit. It could get lonely,” she says and then pauses. “But I’m out of that now. Now I’m surrounded by family.”

The smile she gives seems more forced than the others, and I can’t blame her. Thinking about a hard past can stir up emotions. If she’s anything like me, she’s faking a smile to drop the subject, so I don’t push it any further.

“So… Keaton chewed Lady Elise’s teddy bear?” I ask.

There’s her natural happy laugh. She smiles and tells me the story as the hall fills with people. We talk a little bit longer about mundane subjects I never would’ve thought I’d discuss with anyone else. After about half an hour I stand.

“It has been nice talking with you Lady Corrin, but I must get to training.” I say politely and bow my head.

She nods. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow Shura.” She smirks and stands as well, taking her plate and glass to the other table to go sit with the others.

I know she deserves better company than me, to be surrounded by everyone else, but I can’t deny the happy feeling I get when she says we can talk again.


	3. Chapter 3

“I was thinking that maybe we could train together tonight, if that’s alright with you.”

I look up at Lady Corrin when she suggests the idea. We have already finished eating, her joining me once again as we discussed the war, but I figured afterwards she would just go back and sit with her friends as she had the nights before. 

“It might be difficult to train together. You’re a sword wielder and I train with a bow and arrow.” I admit.

She shrugs. “Then teach me how to use a bow and arrow. My brothers always say that it is good to be well rounded. You never know what scenario you could get into where learning how to be an archer could help, you know?”

I laugh lightly. She is right with that. “Lord Takumi is a far better archer than I am. Why don’t you ask him to teach you?”

“Takumi would get too impatient. Besides, it would be a way for us to get to spend more time together,” she says with a small smile. “Unless you don’t want to train me? I’d understand.”

“No, it’s not that.”

“So you’re still nervous about being seen with me?”

If she had asked me that three days ago I would’ve said what I always did. She deserved better company, shouldn’t waste her time with me, shouldn’t risk being seen with an outlaw like me. But I can’t deny it to myself, I want to spend more time with her. I know it’s selfish, that I should push her away for her own good, but I instead find myself grinning. “No. Come on, I can train you. If you think you can keep up.”

She smirks and we both get up and clear the table, then head to the training area. It’s so quiet when it’s empty, much easier to concentrate. The first few days I was here I tried training in the afternoon with everyone else, but it was too crowded. I had never been in such a nice training facility though. When I was younger I used to just paint a target on a tree and use that. Here there is a wall with several different targets in front of it, the ground being marked with lines indicating different distances. I could usually hit a bullseye from the furthest line, it just takes concentration.

We go to the weapons rack and I pull out my bow and quiver. It’s heavier than most, what I’ve been using for years. Using anything else at this point would throw me off. I look beside mine and see others, including Takumi’s bow, the Fujin Yumi, and Niles’. 

“Here,” I say and grab one of the training bows, passing it to the Princess. “This one is best for new archers. And use these.” I pull out a quiver filled with arrows.

“Alright, thank you.” She smiles and we walk to the first line in front of the target wall. It’s only ten feet away, almost laughable for me. I can do it no problem, but if she hasn’t shot a bow before it might actually prove to be a problem.

“Do you know the proper stance?” I ask and she thinks.

“Kind of. I haven’t tried it but I’ve seen you in battle. And watched Takumi and Niles train before.” She admits and I nod.

“Well it’s a start. But doing it is harder than watching it.” I say and then lift my bow, preparing an arrow. “Archers make it look easy because we have been doing this for years, we are used to the weapon. But a lot of people underestimate the amount of strength it takes to pull back the string, get enough force to hit the target.” I feel the tension in the string before pulling back the arrow, taking aim at the target. I take a calming breath and then exhale, letting the arrow fly.

Bullseye, just as I expected.

“Woah,” Lady Corrin says as she stares at the target.

I smirk. “Now you try. Don’t worry about doing it perfectly. Just shoot at the target, and I’ll let you know how to improve.”

She nods and then lifts up the bow. Right away I can see her body is too tense, but I don’t comment on it. She has the strength to pull back the arrow, not that I was doubting her, and takes in a deep breath before letting the arrow go.

She misses the target completely, as I expected. The arrow flies into the stone wall and bounces harmlessly off.

“Damnit,” She sighs.

I smile. “Don’t be hard on yourself. A lot of people have trouble getting the arrow to even go far the first time they try.” I assure her and walk over. “Try again, and this time I’ll step you through it. Raise your bow.”

She gets in the stance again and I walk over. “Okay, now your shoulders are too tense.” I say and touch her shoulders lightly, feeling them relax under my hands. “I know it feels strange to relax and use all that strength, but if you’re too tense your arrow will never fly straight.”

“Okay.” She says and focuses her gaze on the target. I just keep watching her. 

“You have to clear your mind, okay? What are you thinking about right now?”

“You watching me fail at archery,” she says bluntly.

I laugh lightly. “Does that make you nervous?”

“Yes. I don’t like failing.”

“Don’t worry about that. You’re learning… I’m not judging you Princess. I think you’re doing quite well so far,” I tell her. She glances at me and smiles again, her cheeks blushing pale pink. I’m not sure why. “But again, that is a problem with tension. You can’t be stressed.”

“I’ll try,” she says, but I can still hear that she’s nervous.

For some people, archery comes easy to them. I have figured for years that those kinds of people are the ones who can easily push aside their emotions. They’ve held them down so long that doing it for another five seconds to shoot an arrow is no big deal. That’s how I manage to do it. Even when I was an outlaw, horrible pressure on my shoulders, I could still hit my target. Clearly, the Princess is not one of the people that can do this.

“Here, try this.” I stay behind her but remove my hands from her shoulders. “Take in a deep breath, like you did last time. As you breathe in, try and clear your thoughts. Then exhale. As all the air leaves, that is when you shoot. That is when your body is the least tense.”

She nods and I take a step back to watch. I see her body tense again for a moment when I first leave, but she seems to remind herself to relax. I can hear her take in a deep breath, and then exhale, letting the arrow go.

She barely grazes the side of the target. The arrow doesn’t stick.

“Good job Princess.” I grin and walk back over to her. 

She looks at me, confused. “But I didn’t hit the target.”

“But for a second shot, that’s pretty damn good. You’re only going to get better from here. You’ll be wielding a bow in battle in no time.”

She smiles. “So does that mean you’re going to keep training me?”

I pause, not even thinking about it when I said it. The thought goes through my head that I could tell her just to ask Takumi for help, that I should tell her that. She deserves a better teacher than me, and he would be the best in the army. Instead, I just shrug. “If you want me too Princess.”

She smiles. “Then yes, I would like for you to keep training me Shura.”

There’s some relief that I feel when I know we will get to do this again. It’s an honor to train the Princess, and maybe this is how I can shed my outlaw reputation. If she sees something good in me then maybe others can too.

I smile back at her. “Alright, well let’s keep working on this. You’ll get it right eventually. Raise your bow and try again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't put a note so far because I've just been kind of madly writing this because I feel the inspiration for it, but figured I'd say thanks for reading so far. I hope you guys are liking it because I haven't seen any other Shura fics so figured why not. Hope you like it and keep reading, leave a comment if you want because that would be awesome. But yeah, if not then that's cool, just enjoy.


	4. Chapter 4

“I took your advice, tried talking to someone in the army.”

Corrin shoots her arrow, hitting the edge of the target. After two hours of training yesterday, and being here for half an hour now, this is only her second hit. But still, she’s learning.

“Oh yeah?” She smiles and looks up from the target to me. “Who did you talk to?”

“Niles, the other outlaw.” I say and step back to the thirty meter line to aim, just barely missing a bullseye as I come back over. “He was… Strange.”

Strange was actually an understatement when talking about Niles. Sure, he’s nice enough, had no problem talking to me. That’s why I chose him, I figured a fellow outlaw would have no problem with me. That, and the fact we are archers are the only commonalities we share however. Every question I asked led to some strange answer involving a sexual innuendo, even when I asked about how it was working for Lord Leo. Only when I asked him about Lady Camilla did he talk like a normal person, and that’s when the conversation became interesting to me.

She laughs. “I could’ve told you he was strange if you had asked. But he’s a good guy. What did you talk about?”

“Your sister actually.” I say and go to the target, collecting my arrows. She goes to pick up hers.

“Really?” She smirks. “It makes sense. She is his favorite topic it seems.”

I laugh. It feels off to talk about this kind of topic with the Princess, especially since I could never imagine an outlaw being with a royal in that way. I barely like to be seen with the Princess out of fear of how she will be seen, but Niles seems to have no problem going everywhere with Lady Camilla. 

When I’m silent for too long, she speaks up again. “Camilla told me she might marry him. She’s only hesitating because of the war.”

I pause and then raise my bow to the target. “An outlaw marrying into royalty. Never thought I’d live to see that day.” I admit and shoot at the target. Of course at ten feet away I get a perfect bullseye. I glance at her. “Shoulders down, you’re too tense again.”

She exhales and let’s go. Another hit, although this time further into the target. “Thanks… you know no one sees you guys as outlaws. You can marry whoever you want. It’s about love at the end of the day. You can’t control who you love, or who loves you. It’s not about who you were.”

I go silent again. I wish she was right, that everything could be based off love and it was all sunshine and rainbows in the world. But that simply isn’t the case, not in my experience. The world is harder than that, everything is more complicated. Not that any of it matters to me. I’ll probably never get married, never fall in love either. I’ve gone this far in my life without love, I don’t expect it to pop up.

“I’m glad you talked to him though Shura.” She smiles at me sweetly. “Maybe everyone can see in you what I see. A nice guy, who’s funny and really good at shooting things.”

I laugh again. “How was your day Princess?”

She shrugs. “Normal. Went to check on a local town, everything was normal,” she says. Only a few of the army went on that mission, I went with some of the others on a scouting mission up ahead. “And then trained for a bit. Then had tea with Laslow.”

That causes me to stop, letting go of my arrow. Damnit, even from ten feet I didn’t get a bullseye. “Laslow? You mean the flirt?”

She groans. “You sound like every guy in the army. He does more than just flirt, he’s a nice guy.”

“All I’ve ever seen that guy do is get rejected.” I admit. He was one of the more interesting people to watch in the time where I would sit alone. For about the first two weeks he was here he would sit beside a random girl in the army and start flirting. Then, they would reject him. He would look dejected for about a minute before moving on to the next girl. He was rejected by the entire army. He does the same thing in towns too.

“He’s actually nice, fun to talk to.” She admits and shoots again, this time missing.

“How’d you end up at tea with him? You actually fell for his flirting?” I joke and she rolls her eyes, still giggling though.

“Not entirely. He would ask me every day to go to tea with him. I thought it would be shocking if I said yes one day. Got a funny look on his face.” She smirks. “It actually ended up being a lot of fun. I wasn’t expecting it.”

I feel myself tense up, and this time I miss the target completely. Why am I feeling so tense over this? The Princess is an adult, she can do whatever she wants. But just thinking about her with that flirt… There’s a knot in my stomach now. 

When I look at her she looks concerned. “Are you okay?”

I glance at her and then go to pick up the arrow. “Sore muscles. It happens.”

“Come on, sit down.” She smiles. “Let’s take a break.”

We go outside to a wooden bench and sit together. I put down my quiver and bow and look at her, she’s looking off contently to the sky.

“You did a good job today Princess,” I say, “You’re going to be the best archer in the army in no time.”

She laughs. “Will not. Not with you and Takumi around.”

I smile when she compares me to Takumi. I don’t feel as if I’ve earned the compliment, but figure it’s easier to just accept it. “Thank you Princess.”

There’s silence between us and I feel the tension rise in me again. I hate the feeling, I don’t know why I’m having it now. Usually I only feel this tense before battle, or when we’re in danger. But there’s no danger now, and we don’t battle until tomorrow. I try not to let her see my tension, not that she’s paying attention to me anyway. She is still staring at the stars, a perfectly clear night. Still smiling over something that I can’t tell, but I enjoy her smile all the same.

I don’t know why I say the next words I say, they just seem to escape my lips. “You could do so much better than that flirt, Princess.”

Why the hell would I say that?

She pauses and then turns to me. “What do you mean Shura?”

I shake my head. “Forget it, it’s nothing.” I say, praying that she’ll drop the subject. Of course, she doesn’t.

“No, come on. What did you mean by that?”

I sigh. “You deserve better than him. Someone that hasn’t flirted with the entire army, who won’t continue to do so.”

I look at her and she’s now looking at the ground, biting her lip. “I deserve better…” She looks up at me. “Do you mean I deserve better, like someone like you?”

My eyes widen and I shake my head right away. “No, not at all. That’s not what I meant. You deserve someone far better than me.”

She groans. “Would you stop saying that? I like you Shura. You don’t have to be so down on yourself all the time.”

I look down. “Sorry Princess.”

There’s a moment of silence between us. My heart is racing, I don’t know why I said any of what I just said. I should just leave, never talk to the Princess again. She shouldn’t be talking to me anyway. I’m just an outlaw, I’m no good for her. Not as a friend, she deserves better friends.

My thoughts are broken and my heart jumps when I feel the Princess kiss my cheek softly. When I look at her, completely stunned, she smiles lightly. “Thanks for worrying about me though, it’s sweet… But I know what I deserve. And I can protect myself. Okay?”

I try to compose myself and nod, smiling back at her. “Alright Princess.”

She smiles brightly again and stands. “Alright, want to get back to training now? You seem a lot more relaxed.”

I nod and she runs off back inside to train. I sigh hard and shake my head. Just have to clear my head, push down my emotions, like always. Focus only on the arrow…

How the hell am I supposed to focus around that girl?


	5. Chapter 5

The very next day I’m asked to assist in guarding Lord Xander and Lord Leo as they visit a few towns over, checking reports of bandits in the area. I’m still not over the night before with Corrin, trying to process my emotions for once instead of pushing them down. It’s what the Princess would probably recommend. The mission is a good distraction from it all though, until we arrive and Xander looks at us.

“Laslow, Niles, Shura, you keep watch nearby the town entrance, stay hidden. If you see anything suspicious call immediately. Silas, Odin and Peri, come with us to see if the people in town know anything of it, and if they’re alright.” He says.

That’s how I found myself hiding with Niles, and the flirt himself, Laslow.

“This is so boring.” Niles groans after a few minutes. I find the silence peaceful myself. 

“Just keep watch,” Laslow says, staring at his steel sword. “If Lord Xander gives us an order we must obey.”

“Like there would be any bandits here… Besides who leaves the person with one eye to keep watch. It’s stupid.” Niles smirks, but keeps watch anyway. 

“We both know you just want to be back at the castle with Lady Camilla,” Laslow comments and I shift slightly, remembering how Corrin talked about it last night. I try to block her out of my mind, for the good of the mission.

 

“I would rather be anywhere than here… But yes with Camilla would be wonderful,” he says and grins. I just keep watch over the entrance. There’s still no one there that I can see, and as much as I hate to admit it Niles may be right. I doubt someone would come to this village, it’s too small. When I was an outlaw I never would’ve bothered robbing this place, there’s probably nothing valuable.

I manage to ignore the other two as they talk, Niles talking about Lady Camilla as he did with me the other day. Laslow actually seems less than interested, still watching his sword. They talk for about ten minutes before Niles says something that actually catches my interest.

“So I heard you had tea with Lady Corrin yesterday,” he says to Laslow with a smirk.

Just hearing her name gets my attention, although I try not to show it. Still acting casual, watching the empty plains. When I do take a second to glance at Laslow I see his face is slightly red.

“Well, yes. She agreed to join me.” He says, sounding almost nervous in his words. Not how I would have expected him to act.

“Well how was it?” Niles presses. I’m curious to hear about it, but almost don’t want to listen at the same time. The feeling of tension about it rises within me again. It’s not just tension, it’s jealousy. But why am I feeling jealous over the Princess? She can do what she wants, I know that.

“It was… Lovely. The Princess makes for lovely company.” Laslow tells him. With the way I’ve seen him flirt for so long I thought he would’ve been a crude ladies’ man, more like Niles with his approach to women. 

Niles looks at me next. “You spend time with Lady Corrin, right?”

I wish he hadn’t asked. “Yes, she trains with me sometimes.”

I think again about last night and feel my stomach tighten when I remember her kissing my cheek. This feeling is foolish, only young men should be so distracted. I keep telling myself that it is just an emotion, it will go away, but when I think of her it only gets stronger. I hate it.

“Like last night?” He asks and I nod, staying quiet. “Did she happen to mention our dear friend Laslow over here?”

“Niles.” Laslow says sharply and I pretend to laugh it off.

“Why would she discuss who she drinks tea with? All we do is train.” I lie.

“You train in complete silence?” Niles asks.

“We talk about the war. Our pasts. Talk about bows and arrows and fighting techniques. I’m helping her train.” I say, and this time he seems to buy it and shrugs, going back to keeping watch. 

“You two are boring.” He finally says after a minute. “What fun is life without romance and love?”

“Who says my life has no romance in it?” Laslow asks and he smirks.

“I’ve seen you get shot down more times than I’ve seen Lord Leo fight with Prince Takumi. Trust me, that’s a lot.” He says and looks at me. “With you I can just tell there’s no romance there.”

“Life isn’t about romance.” I say.

“See? Boring, boring, boring.” He says and sits back. “I mean don’t you guys know the feeling of love? When someone is on your mind all the time, you can’t go a moment without thinking about them. You want nothing but to protect them and be with them… Want to see them happy. And when they are happy you feel even happier. And their smile… Lady Camilla has the nicest smile you know.”

I pause when he says everything. Instantly I think about Corrin, our training sessions. Her smile, her beautiful smile. I try to clear my head of thoughts of her. I shouldn’t be thinking about the Princess this way, feeling this way about her. I’m an outlaw, she deserves better. She could do so much better. 

It’s Laslow’s voice that breaks my thoughts next. “I know that feeling. I believe I’m starting to feel it for Lady Corrin.”

The jealousy twists inside me but I keep my mouth shut. I just keep telling myself that she deserves better. That I should stop feeling this way, I should push my feelings down like I’m shooting an arrow. Ignore my mind, ignore how I’m thinking. This is wrong. 

She deserves better than me. Even if it is Laslow, she deserves better than me.

We sit in silence for the rest of the time, except for Niles’ humming. Lords Xander and Leo come to get us and we search the area to no avail, heading back to the castle. 

When we get back to the castle I walk to Niles before he can go in. “Do you mind passing a message to Lady Corrin if you see her?”

He nods and smirks. “Yes, of course.”

“Tell her I can’t train with her tonight… And I’m sorry.”

Before he can respond I walk away to go find my tent. I can’t be around her, not like this. Not when I’m thinking this way about her. I can’t get her smile out of my head, her laugh. 

But she deserves better than me. She deserves so much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also random thing because I was thinking about it, they basically stay in the astral plain castle place. I couldn't imagine just a random campsite so yeah. Hope you guys are still enjoying this.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days go quite smoothly, although I can’t help but feeling guilty for abandoning Lady Corrin without any warning.

I have gotten good at avoiding her, wherever she would be. If I see her walking in the courtyard I turn to go train, if she comes to train I go to my tent. It has been hard because of the nagging thought that I should at least go talk to her. I just have to shake it away, stop thinking that. I know it’s wrong, that I should keep doing what I’m doing. Avoiding her is for her own good, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.

But it still feels awful to do, and the feeling isn’t helped by the fact that I see her with Laslow more and more. They’re always walking together now, or eating together, training together. She’s smiling for him like she smiled for me. The jealous feeling won’t just go away like my other emotions, I can’t help but feel like she deserves better. He seems nice but he’s still a flirt. She deserves all the happiness in the world, someone that loves her and only her.

But I can’t tell her that. Laslow is better for her than I am, and she can make her own decisions.

I had become so good at avoiding her it almost makes me jump out of my skin when I hear her voice again. “Shura, have you been avoiding me?”

I let go of my arrow and it hits the stone wall with enough force to bend the arrow. My evening training has turned into late night training. It’s almost midnight, why is she here?

“Princess, forgive me, I wasn’t expecting you.” I say and go to pick up my arrow. It’s useless unless I can manage to straighten it out.

“Have you been avoiding me?” She repeats and I sigh.

“I just think it’s best that we avoid contact Lady Corrin. That’s all.”

She groans and shakes her head. “Damnit Shura, you can’t just leave me without warning. We’re supposed to be friends, remember?”

I walk back to the furthest line by the target and she follows me there. “You deserve better friends Princess. I’m just an outlaw, you don’t want to be caught up with me.”

“Would you stop saying that?” She growls and I raise my bow, trying to get my body to relax. “You’re more than just an outlaw to me. How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t care about who you were! I only care about who you are now… And it hurts that you’d just leave me like that.”

I close my eyes and lower my bow. “I never meant to hurt you.”

I look over at the Princess. Her eyes are avoiding me and she’s looking at the ground, her arms crossed over her chest. She doesn’t look angry though, and the feeling of dread spreads through my body. Did I really hurt her? It was never what I wanted to do. I tell myself that it’s for the best, it’s so that she can be happy, but I’m already hating myself for hurting her like this.

“I know you wouldn’t mean to…” She finally says and looks at me. “I’m sorry if you need more space. If I came on too strong and you don’t want to be with me as much. I’ll back away if that’s what you want, but don’t just leave. Just tell me to go away, and I’m sorry if I made you feel like you had to be around me.”

“That’s not the problem Princess,” I say, hating myself even more for the sadness in her voice.

“Then what is it?”

“You just… Deserve so much better than me.”

“Would you stop saying that?” She snaps and walks over to me. “Shura, you’re my friend, and it kills me to hear you say that over and over! You’re not just an outlaw, you’re not a bad person. Stop saying that I deserve better than you!”

The silence in the room surrounds both of us, and I don’t know how to respond. I still don’t understand why she feels this way about me, why she thinks that I am even worthy to be in her presence. Outlaw scum like me shouldn’t even be worthy to bow at her feet.

But I respect her wishes, for the moment at least, not to tell her that she deserves better.

“I didn’t intend to hurt you Princess. I hope you will forgive me.” I say and bow my head.

There’s a moment of hesitation, but then Corrin steps forward and hugs me. It takes a moment for me to respond, but then I just wrap my arms around her, my bow still in my hand. She feels warm, I can feel her breathing.

“Of course I forgive you Shura.” She murmurs and then lets go, smiling the same smile I haven’t been able to get out of my head for the past few days. “Do you want to train together?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s getting quite late. I could walk you back to your quarters if you wish Princess.” I offer. Luckily, she nods. I put away my bow and quiver and walk with her out of the training area and through the courtyard.

“So how have you been Lady Corrin?” I ask politely.

Her eyes stay stuck on the stars as she shrugs and walks. “Fine. Everything has seemed calmer, not as many heated battles… I think the war is cooling off a bit. Which is good, we could all use a break.” She says and shrugs. “So good.”

I nod. “How has it been with you and Laslow?”

She pauses and raises an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

I laugh, not wanting to tell her the real reason. The reason is that I want to make sure that at least she’s happy, that he’s being good to her. Instead I just say: “I was stationed with him a couple days ago. He was talking about you.”

“Really? What did he say?”

“Nothing really I guess.” I lie, remembering how he said he may be falling for her. That’s for him to tell her, not me. “But he seemed to like you… You’re right, he’s more than a flirt. He seems like a good man.”

She smiles. “I’m glad you’re getting to know more of the army Shura, I told you they’d get along with you.” She says and then stops at her door. “But… I don’t think it’s going to work with Laslow.”

My heart jumps as I stop beside her. “Oh? Why not?”

Corrin glances down the hall and then back to me. Our eyes meet and she smiles very lightly, and then goes back to a more subdued expression. “It’s just… Complicated I suppose. Goodnight Shura, thank you for walking me back.”

She leans in and kisses my cheek softly again, as she did days before. Her lips feel like a spark of electricity that shoots through my body, making my heart beat faster. Before I can say anything she’s gone, back inside of her room.

Man, I am too old for this.


	7. Chapter 7

I didn’t see the Princess the next day. She didn’t come to dinner, or to train. I would feel more relieved if I wasn’t worried about her, but her little sister Elise assured me that she was fine. 

“She’s fine! Just needed time to herself is all,” she said with a giggle before running off.

The giggling girl came to get me the next day after dinner when I got up to clear my plates. “Corrin says she wants to see you, to meet her at her room.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Really? She said that?”

“Yep! Asked me to get you when you were available.” 

I nod. “Alright, thank you Lady Elise.” I say and bow my head. She once again runs off. The youngest Nohr princess really is like a child, it’s almost refreshing in a way.

I make my way to her room and pass by Laslow in the courtyard. The young man looks dejected, sharpening his sword with a frustrated look on his face. His eyes are fixed on the steel as he works it. I’m almost tempted to go talk to him, but then I remember what he said, how he might be in love with Princess Corrin.

Then I remember what she said, that she didn’t want to be with him. 

A week ago I wouldn’t have cared at all or even thought about talking to him. It’s like Corrin has a spell on me, making me more like her. That’s probably not the worst thing in the world.

But I’m not enough like her to actually stop, and keep walking until I get to her room and give a loud knock. I hear her shuffling inside before the door opens.

For once, the Princess looks completely casual. I haven’t seen her outside of her armor since I met her, and it almost feels improper to see her dressed any differently. She’s dressed in Hoshido robes made from silk. Midnight blue like the sky at night. She looks stunning, but I still feel the need to look away, heat rising to my cheeks.

“Shura, you came.” She smiles sweetly. “Come in.”

“Are you sure this is appropriate Princess?” I ask. Gods, I must be bright red by now. 

“I have allies in my chambers all the time. Come in. You wouldn’t be doing anything wrong,” she says. She then steps aside to let me in.

Her room is more understated then I would expect from a royal. There are red carpets, and a large red bed in the corner. There’s a table and chair, but nothing on top of it. A book shelf with no books, and a small wooden trunk by the foot of her bed. 

“Do you like my room?” She asks and I turn to her. She shuts her door and goes to her bed to sit down. 

“It’s kind of empty… But I do like it.” I tell her. It’s a nice change from my tent to actually be indoors. 

She gestures for me to sit on the bed but I hesitate. “Shura, don’t be so nervous, it’s fine.” She assures me and I take a seat beside her on the edge of the bed. She turns to me and crosses her legs so she can watch me. “It is empty. I don’t have very much to store in here. I don’t have very many personal belongings, and I don’t spend so much time in this room anyway.”

I look around again and then back at her. She smiles, seemingly content to watch me. “Why not?”

“Well…” She pauses and thinks. “I spent so much time locked up when I was younger. I never got to see the outside. So when I came here it felt wrong to be inside again. I wanted to go out and do the things I couldn’t when I was younger. That’s why I liked training late with you. Gave me an excuse not to come back here, spend more time doing what I wasn’t allowed to do as a child.”

I nod. “I often forget that you spent your entire childhood in a tower.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well you’re so… Happy. Usually if someone grows up in a hard circumstance it’s hard to get over. You can see the pain in their eyes. I can’t see that with you,” I say and then look at her. “I’m glad I don’t see that pain in you.”

“I wish you didn’t have that pain Shura…” I look over at her when she says that. She moves so that she’s sitting beside me, only inches away. “I wish I could help you get the pain to go away. But I know it isn’t that simple.”

All I can think about when she says that is Kohga, my former country. The destruction, murder of the people. Being only one of a handful of people to survive, having to keep fighting for survival long after the invasion was over. I still want desperately to rebuild it, to have the place that I grew up in back. I always have wanted that. I wanted that instead of having to steal, having to become an outlaw of Nohr.

When I look at her I realize that that was the first time I had thought of Kohga in days. Too distracted by the Princess to even think of my past. The first emotion that hits is disgrace with myself, that I could forget where I came from because of something as foolish as love. But then… I feel calm.

For the first time in years I have felt tortured by something other than pain, that I have had her and only her. For the first time in years, I was okay.

“You have helped me,” I say, “More than you could ever realize. More than I honestly deserve.”

“I’m happy to hear that Shura.” She smiles.

The silence between us is comfortable, and I wish I could spend a long time suspended in this moment with her. For once all the feelings of tension are gone, no jealousy or confusion of my own emotions. I could hit a million targets with her by my side if I could stay this relaxed.

“I told Laslow I couldn’t be with him.” She breaks the silence, the perfect moment. But I don’t care.

“Why not? I thought you said he was nice.” I say.

“Because… It wouldn’t be fair to him.” She says, this time she turns red and looks away. “I’m… In love with someone else.”

My heart sinks. The moment with her completely shattered. I think about all the men in the army, who she could possibly be in love with, who could be worthy of her affection. I keep telling myself, someone better than me. Someone who will make her happy, who will make her dreams come true. Not some old outlaw who will make her look bad, who will disgrace her royal name. 

Still, even while telling myself that, it doesn’t make me feel any better.

“Oh.” Is all I manage to get out.

My heart pounds as I feel her hand on mine and I want to run from the room. She must see how I feel, must be trying to comfort me.

“Shura… I believe I have fallen in love with you.”

If she wanted to give me a heart attack, she damn well nearly succeeded. 

I turn to her immediately. “W-what?”

“I know what you’re going to say, that I deserve better. But don’t even bother because I won’t listen,” she starts and then grabs my hands in hers. Our eyes are locked. “You deserve to be happy. And I want to be the one to make you happy, because I am falling in love with you. Because I want to be with you. You’re kind, you’re a brilliant archer, you’re funny. You’re so much more than what you think… If you don’t want to be with me, if you don’t feel the same way, then that’s fine. But if you just say you don’t want to be with me because of some misplaced idea of honor… If you break my heart because you think that will be better for me, then you’re wrong. I want you. I love you.”

Everything inside of me is mixed up, a thousand different emotions going a thousand different directions. When I was living a life as a thief I never would have imagined that a young beautiful Princess would proclaim her love for me, I wouldn’t think I would deserve it.

I still don’t think I do.

Part of me is screaming to tell her no, to leave right now and never look back. The honorable side of me is saying that she deserves better, she deserves so much better and I will never be able to provide for her the life she deserves.

But I spent half my life as a thief, and thieves have no honor. They only have instinct. And it’s on that instinct that I respond: “I love you too Princess.”

I couldn’t break her heart. She asked me not to.

She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me into a kiss. Her lips are soft against mine, her body feels warm. It’s strange, this is the closest I’ve ever been to the princess, but for the first time my contact with her doesn’t feel wrong. 

I want to stay in this moment forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're still enjoying this. Could end on a happy ending fairytale, but I have a few more chapters in me. Expect more tomorrow. Hope you guys like this.


	8. Chapter 8

I wake up in my tent early in the morning. Last night still feels like a dream and I can’t believe it happened. The Princess actually returned my feelings I had for her. For once the feeling of dread is gone, I don’t have to worry so much about any of that.

Well, the feeling of dread about being in love was gone. Replaced by a whole different feeling. 

She assured me she didn’t care about her reputation, that it wouldn’t even be damaged by being with me, but I can’t help but worry. She’s a young, strong Princess with her whole life ahead of her. She could be with any man she wanted probably, why would she want to be with me? Why would she settle for an old thief when she could have royalty? 

The thought continues in my head as the army moves forward. I’m assigned to the Princess to help protect her, but as an archer I barely get contact with her. 

It’s later that evening when she first talks to me, in the dining hall. She smiles and sits across from me, as she usually does. “Hey Shura.”

“Hello Princess.” I smile back to her. “How are you?”

“I’m… Great.” She smirks. “After last night how could I be anything less?”

“I’m glad that you are happy Corrin.” I tell her. Last night she told me I could call her Corrin, didn’t have to be so formal. It still feels strange, but I will do as she asks. “I do feel like we should discuss this more, if that’s alright with you.”

She nods. “I agree… How about after dinner we go talk about it in your tent?”

I raise an eyebrow. “My tent? Why there?” I ask. Having the Princess in my tent is something I never would’ve imagined just last week, it’s still hard to envision.

She shrugs. “It has privacy, no one will be watching us, but it’s not indoors, so I won’t be locked away. It’s a win win I think.”

We eat dinner, keeping our conversation casual in case anyone is to overhear. I tell her a little bit about Kohga, the happier times before the invasion. I tell her about my family, what they were like. It seems to make her smile, which just makes it easier to talk. I hold off on telling her about the invasion, not wanting that smile to go away on such a dark topic.

We both walk to my tent and I let her inside, carefully looking around to see no one is watching. She doesn’t seem to care though, pulling me inside with her. I close the tent and sit on the ground, allowing her to sit on my bedroll so it can at least be slightly comfortable for her.

My tent is small with only a bedroll and a bag with some clothing on the ground beside me. The walls are green, but a muddy unpleasant green that can be hard to wake up to at times. The ground below me is cold and hard. Still though, it’s what I’m used to. I can’t imagine anything different.

“You know we could always get you a bed indoors.” She admits, the royals offering me that when I first came to the castle. I figured it would just be a cot in the dungeons of the castle or something.

“I don’t mind my tent,” I say, “More fresh air, wake up to the birds. It’s quite nice actually.” I leave out the part about how cold it is in the mornings.

She leans back, already entirely comfortable in my tent. I’m always surprised at how quickly she adapts to different situations. It takes me days to even warm up to talking to someone, she just seems to do it instantly. Last night in her room I was uncomfortable, but she doesn’t seem to have the same problem here.

“So how is this going to work with us?” She asks. “I’m guessing you don’t want to tell anyone?”

“I think for now that may be best. If that is alright with you, Princess.”

“None of that Princess stuff. I told you, call me Corrin.” She smiles. “And that’s alright… They’re going to have to find out eventually though. Will you be okay with that?”

“Eventually, yes.” I lie. I’m not sure if I will ever be comfortable with the idea of people knowing I’m in love with the Princess, or that she’s in love with me. 

“Good, because I intend on being with you for a long time.” She smiles. “Come closer to me. No one can see us now, it’s alright.”

I get up and sit next to her. “May I ask you a question Corrin?”

“Of course Shura.” She says and finds my hand with hers, lacing our fingers together. I don’t try pull away, grateful that she wants to hold my hand. 

“Why are you in love with me?” I ask, and then squeeze her hand before she can answer. “And I don’t mean the reasons you gave last night. I mean… You could be with any man you wanted in the army. A royal, a noble, but you instead chose the old, antisocial thief who is barely worthy to be in your presence.”

“Stop talking about my love like that…” She says and then turns her body so that she’s holding both my hands, much like she did last night. “First of all, you being older doesn’t bother me. We’re both adults. It’s actually nice to be with a mature man. You aren’t playing with me like other boys would. Plus you treat me like an equal in training. You never told me that you would protect me so you don’t have to teach me, you just trained me. It’s a nice change.”

Before I can say anything she smirks and straddles my legs. I’m sure I’m bright red now, but she doesn’t seem to mind. “Secondly… You are antisocial, and that’s alright. You’re trying to talk to others but doing that at your own pace. Even if you only talk to one or two other people that’s just fine. You’ve made the effort to change. And if you decide you want to stay a loner then that’s okay too. I like that side of you as much as I do any other.”

She leans down and kisses me softly, sweetly like last night, before pulling back and stroking my cheek. “And last… You were a thief. An outlaw. Notorious… But a man shouldn’t be judged on what he did to survive. He should be judged on what he does when he isn’t fighting for his life. If you were well off and stole that would make you a bad man, but since coming to the castle you haven’t stolen a thing. That makes me believe that you are a good man.”

I smile and pull her close to me, kissing her again, feeling her skin against mine, my hands placed on her sides. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you…”

She giggles and leans her forehead against mine, our faces only inches apart. “So why do you love me then?”

I close my eyes to think, feeling her breath against me as I do. “You bring out the best in me Corrin. You make me want to change to be better for you, to be worthy of you. You are also fearless and strong on the battlefield, but still merciful. I’ve never seen you be cruel to a soul, even when perhaps they may not deserve your mercy…”

She’s about to say something but I kiss her quickly to stop her. “You’re the kindest girl in the army. You care for everyone else before yourself it seems, and you have united two countries at war. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. I would be a fool not to love you… Are those enough reasons, my Princess?”

She giggles and nods. “Yes.” She says and pecks my lips again.

“I have a dream… That one day I will be able to rebuild Kohga. Make it like the place I have in my memories so clear.” I tell her. “I want you to be there when I do.”

It’s a dream I have had since the first invasion. The only time I was truly happy for most of my life was when I was in Kohga. The dream of rebuilding it was the only thing that kept me fighting for survival. The only other time I’ve felt happiness has been recently, being with Corrin. Having her in my life.

She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls herself close to me as we both lay down on the bedroll. I keep my arms around her and hold her close. It doesn’t feel wrong in the slightest.

“I want to make your dreams come true, Shura…” She says quietly and snuggles closer to me.

I close my eyes and nod. “I love you, Corrin.”


	9. Chapter 9

Corrin and I have been together for two months, and just now are we telling people about our relationship.

Everything was going amazingly between us, we were close, in love, lately spending most nights together. Although that felt strange at first, she took control and said she wanted a real relationship. I would be a fool to complain that she wanted me, and being with her became comfortable. 

We kept it secret pretty easily, although people are starting to catch on. When people asked her about it she would say I was just teaching her archery, or telling her about my old life. We were just friends. No one even bothered asking me because they know I’d say the same thing. Still, she felt anxious to start telling people, so I agreed. They would have to find out eventually. 

She does most of the talking, but insists I be there when she tells. She starts off by telling Lady Elise and Lady Sakura together, saying they’re the most open minded. She seems nervous about it in her own way, but her little sisters do a good job at calming her down. 

“That’s amazing!” Elise laughs and gives her sister a big hug. “I’m so happy for you big sister! 

“Yes, I am happy for you too.” Sakura smiles very lightly, being much more reserved than her Nohrian counterpart. 

Next is Camilla and Hinoka. Hinoka is also quiet, like her sister, but in a different way. She seems more protective of Corrin, and watches me the entire time. When Corrin says that we’re dating she barely reacts, just keeps watching me. I don’t blame her, and I’m kind of glad she has someone protective.

Camilla isn’t as quiet about it though. “I’m happy for you darling… Tell me if he hurts you. I’ll take care of it.” She smirks and hugs Corrin anyway. 

Leo and Takumi are surprisingly easy about all of it. Takumi seems more confused, looking at me and then at his sister with a frown. “Uh… If this is what you want Corrin then okay…”

Leo rolls his eyes. “We all know you just want her to be with a Hoshidian.”

“Nohrian-“

“Guys, come on.” Corrin groans and stops the fight before it can really start. I’m almost happy for the argument, it distracts them enough so they don’t really care about me.

“So Lords Ryoma and Xander next?” I ask as we walk through the courtyard. She shakes her head.

“No, I was actually thinking maybe we could tell Azura next.” She says and I stop cold and look at her. She pauses and glances back at me. “What’s wrong?”

I can’t find the words to tell her what’s wrong, but just the sound of Azura’s name makes everything flood back to me. I have done a good enough job blocking out the memory of her, if I didn’t then I would be tortured every day. It’s the most horrible thing that I have done in my life, kidnapping the small girl away from her kingdom. I intended to tell the royal family, to tell Azura and apologize, but I could never gather the courage. 

Luckily, the girl is as reclusive as I am. Rarely did I ever see her, and when I did my heart would be filled with guilt. Sure, she’s happy now, and even seems to be close to her Hoshido family. They took good care of her. Now everything is right. Still it eats away at me that I took her. I actually kidnapped a child, nothing will ever change that fact.

But is this something I can hide from my love? Will she even love me if she knows the truth? She has been compassionate and forgiving about everything else in my life, but this is beyond all of that. This is worse than anything else she knew about me. No one else knows it was me, not really. I would never have to tell her, she would never know. She would never be hurt by the information.

But the thought of keeping such a secret from her makes my heart even heavier with guilt. 

“Nothing’s wrong… But may we stop for the day? Maybe just spend some time alone together?” I ask.

“Yeah, alright… It can be tiring to keep telling people the same thing over and over.” She says and smiles lightly as we walk back to her room. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong, Shura?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” I lie and give her a kiss when we enter her room. There’s concern clearly written on her face, but she drops the subject anyway. 

She goes to the bed and lays down, beckoning me over. I sit close to her and stroke her silver hair as she closes her eyes. “I told you no one would mind us being together,” she says quietly but contently. “They just want me to be happy. And you make me happy.”

“I’m glad I make you happy.” I say and smile lightly. The thought of Azura is still in my head, the guilt is overwhelming. The thoughts start to creep back into my mind, the ones I’ve pushed away for two months. She deserves better than a kidnapper. She deserves better than me. I push them down again. “I wish I had a family to bring you to. They would have loved you.”

She smiles and lays her head on my lap. “I wish I could have met them… You’ll have a family again. When we have a family…”

The knot in my stomach tightens. When we have a family. We hadn’t talked much about family before, but I know she wants children, she told me before. Still, the thoughts are as strong as ever. She deserves a better husband, her children deserve a better father. 

I think about Azura again and shake my head. I can’t tell Corrin, the information wouldn’t help her, all it would do is hurt her. Knowing that she’s in love with a man who would do such a horrible thing. But I already know that I can’t keep hiding this, if I’m going to stay with Corrin then I need to tell her. I have to be honest. 

I look down at her. Her eyes are closed and she seems to be asleep. She looks so innocent, so perfect. She’s still the woman I love but will she love me if she finds out? Will she be okay with it? 

The doubt of everything is what eats me up inside. I want everything for her, for her to have everything she wants, but I don’t think that what she wants is a lying, kidnapping, horrible man to be in love with her. 

I have to tell her. I should have told her months ago.


	10. Chapter 10

Corrin pulls back her arrow and shoots, sending it flying through the air and hitting the bullseye.

“Yes! Third time in a row!” She laughs and walks over to me, smiling brightly. She’s still not at the furthest line from the target, but has gotten much better. Enough so I could see her using a bow in arrow in battle and doing alright. 

“Good job. You’ve come a long way Corrin.” I smile and she kisses me.

“Couldn’t have gotten better without you. You’re a pretty awesome teacher. Thank you for agreeing to train me.”

I smile again. “It’s been my pleasure.”

Once she leaves to go collect her arrows my smile drops. Over the past day it has been impossible to push the thoughts of Azura out of my mind, the guilt tearing me apart. I even had to come up with an excuse why I couldn’t talk to Azura with Corrin today, choosing to go on a mission instead. I was trying to come up with reasons to avoid practice with her too, and that’s when it hit me. I don’t like not wanting to be with her. I want to be with her always.

If this is going to work, I have to be honest.

She comes back and I walk over to her. “Can I ask you something Corrin?”

“Yes, of course.” She says and smiles. 

I take in a deep breath. “Would you still love me, even if I did something horrible? Something inexcusable?”

She frowns and looks at me. “Shura, what’s going on?”

“Corrin, please…” I sigh. “Just answer the question.”

For the first time since I was a child I feel frightened. Scared of how she’s going to answer, that she’s going to leave me right here and I’ll never see her again. I’ll never get to hold her or touch her or be with her again. What’s even scarier is the thought that she won’t.

“Shura… I love you. I’ve told you that before.”

“I know but-“ 

“Let me finish.” She says calmly and I nod, keeping quiet. “I’ve heard about what you’ve done. You’re notorious. You’ve been a thief for many years, stealing from hundreds… You have probably had to kill to survive as well. I can’t blame you for that, we have all had to kill.” She says. The guilt of killing doesn’t weigh heavily on me because the men I have killed deserved to die. Or it was to survive. Kidnapping a child however…

“I love you unconditionally,” she says, “And there is nothing you could tell me that could ever change that.”

I don’t know how to respond, stunned into silence. I weakly nod my head and she kisses my cheek and smiles. I could say the same words to her, that she is the woman I am in love with and nothing can ever change that. I would be telling the truth in those words. 

But as my love I feel a need to protect her. Keeping her safe is my priority, making sure that she will always be safe. Being with me is not protecting her, it’s selfish. It makes her happy now, but it could hurt her in the future. Being with me is dangerous, and unfair to her. If I truly want to protect her, then I have to protect her from the worst man in the army. I have to protect her from myself.

A little bit of pain now will save her from a lifetime of pain in a marriage with me. She’s young, she can get over me. She will get over me. She’ll find someone else to make her happy. Unconditional love isn’t good for her, she doesn’t know what she’s saying. She doesn’t understand. 

“So… What are you going to tell me?” She asks, snapping me back to her.

I pause. “Nothing… I have killed people is all. I figured you deserve to know.”

“It’s war,” she says and hugs me. “We have all had to do things that aren’t right. I don’t judge you for that my love.”

That night I’m lying in bed beside her, watching her as she sleeps comfortably. I could watch her forever, I’m tempted to stay, but I know that I can’t.

I get up and get dressed, walking to the small table in her room, getting out paper as I write. I know there’s nothing I can say to make her understand, but the truth will have to do. This is for her own good, she will know that eventually.

"Dear Corrin,  
I never intended to hurt you. When we first became close I never would have imagined in a million years that I would have come across someone in my life who is as perfect as you, or that the perfect person would ever fall for someone like me. You were my source of happiness, the only thing I have loved for years. You truly became my new dream, and I love you dearly. I never will get over you.

But I hope you will be able to get over me. There is something I haven’t been able to tell you, I haven’t had the words. I kidnapped Princess Azura from Nohr when she was just a child. It is the most despicable thing that I have done in my life and I regret it. I will always regret it. A man who can kidnap a child is no man at all, not one ever worthy of the happiness that you bring me.

You said that you would love me unconditionally, and I believe your words full heartedly. That is why I must leave. You deserve to love a man who is worthy of you, who will take care of you and love you. Now that you know what I have done, hopefully you can stop loving me. You can move on.

I will always love you Corrin, nothing can change that. But you deserve better than an outlaws love."

I don’t bother to sign my name. I fold the paper and walk back to the bed, sitting beside her. I lean down and kiss her forehead one last time, stroking her hair. She doesn’t wake up. Part of me is wishing that she would wake up. That she would beg me to stay. That she would make this harder on me.

But I’m protecting her. She will understand that one day.

I place the letter on the pillow beside her and leave the castle. Going to my tent I pick up my bag and leave quickly, before the sun has a chance to rise.

I leave my happiness behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end. Sorry to end it on such a bummer. Good news is I kind of want to write a sequel from Corrin's point of view, because I'm a sap at heart and sad endings are... Well, sad.
> 
> Fun fact I wrote this story to try and choose between Laslow and Shura in my Revelations file. This hasn't helped at all. It was tons of fun to write though. Glad you guys seem to enjoy it. Leave a comment, tell me what you think, I'll always appreciate it. Thanks for reading.


End file.
